


Fool You Twice

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Werewolf!Jason AU [3]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:38:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6149336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His father and his brother had done this before. And he’d be damned, if he was going to let it happen again. Jason wasn’t their biggest fan, never had been, and it seemed Hesperus sure wasn’t either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fool You Twice

**Author's Note:**

> *shoves this in y’all’s faces* Not a whole super lot of wolf in here, but. I’m trying, okay. Maybe next time.

Jason’s ear twitched at the noise, at the soft knock against the doorframe. He heard Titus chuff from the bed, Alfred’s greeting meow, and slowly opened his eyes.

Dick was standing in the threshold of the room, staring stoically down at Jason.

The elder tried to smile. “You still have a bedroom here, you know.”

Jason yawned, lifting his head from the floor, stretching his paws out in front of him. He’d fallen asleep in this form, listening to Damian talk. Just…talk. Not about anything important or earth-shattering. About a book he read, or a move he learned. About Titus’s bad habits, and Alfred’s – both cat and human – favorite foods.

He glanced up to the bed behind him, where Damian was still fast asleep, curled up in his blankets, and safely against Titus’s flank.

 _Good_.

“It’s not my fault there’s no wolf-sized beds or chairs in this house.” Jason joked, tongue darting out against his muzzle. He looked back at Dick, “Besides, can’t quite keep you assholes away from him in _my_ bedroom, now can I?”

Dick’s attempt at friendliness dropped instantly. “Can we talk? About…” He motioned to Damian. “…About this?”

Hesperus growled before Jason had a chance to stop him.

“What’s there to talk about?” Jason shrugged, flopping onto his side, making of show of getting comfy again. “You and Bruce are two pieces of shit. There, we talked about it.”

“Jason,” Dick huffed. “Please.”

Jason hesitated, before twisting his head and looking up at Titus. The dog and his cat counterpart were staring down at Jason expectantly.

Jason barked softly, _‘Think it’s a ruse?’_

Titus tilted his head, as Alfred mewed, _‘Hard to tell.’_

Jason thought for a moment, then snorted, _‘Watch him ‘til I get back.’_

Titus whined, flopping a paw over Damian’s shoulder. _‘Always.’_

Jason gave them a grin, and jerked to his feet. Let out a quiet howl. _‘If Bruce appears, kill him.’_

Titus’s ears lowered sadly, Alfred practically rolled his eyes, cuddling back against Damian’s forehead.

Jason stretched his legs again, leaning down until he felt his ribs brush the ground, then stood up straight.  Was still taller than Dick, even in this form, and grinned when Dick obviously realized that too.

“Lead the way, Dickie.”

Dick turned without another word, walking quickly down the hallway. Jason loomed purposefully over his shoulder, knowing how uncomfortable it made his brother. He took a type of glee in that, in making Dick uncomfortable. Hoped to continue that trend, there was a lot of ground to make up after all, for all the pain and discomfort they’d caused Damian. The pain and discomfort they caused _him_.

Dick led into the study, and Jason wasn’t too surprised to find Bruce waiting for them. Well, at least they were that smart. Don’t send _Bruce_ after _Jason_ , they all knew how badly _that_ would have ended.

Bruce turned towards them, already frowning face frowning deeper. “Get out of that form.”

Dick sighed, even as Jason immediately dropped into a snarl.

“Why?” Jason snapped. “You got a problem with it?”

And before Dick could save either of them, Bruce shot back, “ _Yes_. Now _change_.”

Jason stepped forward, ears back and hackles raised. It was more Hesperus than Jason, but.  Jason didn’t mind the wolf’s decisions this time. “ _Make_ me, old man.”

And Bruce was going to say something, but Dick finally was able to get between them. He was gentle, when he put a hand on Jason’s flank.

“Jason, just this once. Please.” Dick hissed, looking up at Jason desperately. “For Damian.”

The spell wasn’t broken, but Jason calmed immediately. Let his frustration at the once-father-figure settle in the pit of his gut. Because Dick was right, he was here for Damian, no one else. And if Damian was what they wanted to talk about well then by God, Jason would listen. He’d _comply_ , just this once.

“I don’t have any clothes.” He snarked. “You down with me joining this conversation buck-ass naked?”

Bruce didn’t answer. Dick just sighed again and leaned over to the sofa. Picked up a pair of boxers and a shirt, and dropped them at Jason’s paws.

“…Please?” Dick whispered again, trying his hardest to still be caring and neutral. “This is just going to be quick, Jason. And the longer you and Bruce bicker about _this_ , the…” Dick paused, and looked down. “…the longer you’re away from Damian. And I’m sure that’s not what you want, right?”

Jason huffed, but did as he was told. Toggled the magic that controlled the transformation, and felt himself shrinking, the fur pulling back into his body, his paws elongating into fingers. “Well?” He asked, reaching for the boxers. “One of you better get talking.”

Dick blinked and looked back to Bruce for guidance. Bruce sighed, ran his fingers through his hair. “…What are you doing, Jason?”

“What do you mean what am I doing?”

“With Damian.”

Jason felt Hesperus growl, felt the inner wolf’s hackles rise.

Jason ground his teeth together. “I’m _protecting_ him.”

“From what?” Dick asked, dumbly. “Is he in danger? Is something happening that we’re not aware of?”

“From _you_.” Jason hissed. “And actually, if this is going to be a fucking interrogation, then maybe we should switch roles. What am _I_ doing? What the fuck are _you two_ doing?”

And now it was Dick’s turn to go on the defensive. “What do you mean?”

“Questioning him about dying? You think that’s really your best goddamn plan?” Jason demanded. “Ignoring him when he doesn’t give you the answers you want? Are you fucking _kidding_ me?”

“That’s not…!” Dick’s anger suddenly dropped, and he looked at Bruce in confusion. “Is that…is that what Damian told you?”

“He didn’t have to.” Jason shrugged. “After all, when it comes to death, I know how you two operate.”

“No.” Dick was already sad, already desperate and that was _so like him_. “No, Jason, he. If that’s what he told you, then he’s got it all wrong.”

“Everything he said made sense to me. I know from experience, _remember_?” Jason snapped. He looked to Bruce, though, who was suddenly silent. “But, humour me, _please_. How was he wrong?”

“We just wanted to-”

“Not from you.” Jason hissed, eyes darting dangerously over to Dick. He could sense Hesperus in his soul, already pushing to transform back. And hell, Jason had half a mind to do it. Dick cowered away instantly, though, and Jason turned back to Bruce in satisfaction. _“You.”_

Bruce’s face was steel, and Jason could tell he was angry. Bitter. _Jealous_.

 _Good_.

“…We wanted to make sure he was safe. Mentally.” Bruce grumbled. “You’re right. We’ve experienced this before, we _all_ have. And while I didn’t do right by you, Jason, I did _learn_ from you. I learned what death does to a mind. How it…it changes a person, when they’re resurrected.” He paused, and a little bit of emotion bled through. Worry. Fear. Love. “So we asked. We pushed the questions because we want him to know he can _talk_ to us.”

“About anything.” Dick chimed in, and Jason let him. “We just didn’t want him to get stuck in his own head. That he could be open and honest and tell us _anything_ he wanted to.”

“You ever get the hint that maybe, just _maybe_ , he didn’t want to talk?” Jason countered.

“Yes.” Dick sighed in exasperation. “That’s why we left him alone.”

“We gave him space. Like _he_ wanted.”

“So much space he thought you were avoiding him? Angry at him because he wouldn’t open up the way _you_ wanted him to?” Jason crossed his arms. “We’ve gotta talk about y’all’s definition of _extremes_.”

“Dammit, Jason.” Bruce snapped. “What did you want us to do? If we pressure him, we’re smothering him. If we give him space, we’re avoiding him? We lose either way!”

Jason clicked his tongue, let the sound reverberate in the silence. Cocked his head to the side. “Ever think this might not be about _you?_ ”

Bruce let out a low, furious exhale.

“Tell us what to do, then.” Dick stepped between them. “Please, Jason. If you know so well, if we fucked up _this badly_ , then please. Tell us what to do.”

Jason paused, then flatly said, “You leave him alone. You don’t get near him.”

“No.” Dick returned easily, and Jason sensed his brother’s own anger rising. Felt Hesperus growling, ready for the fight. “No way. That is _my_ brother, Jason, I’m not gonna-”

“ _Our_. He is _our_ brother.” Jason hummed coolly. “And there you go again, making this all about _you_.”

He saw Dick grind his teeth. “You _just_ said we left him alone too _much_.”

“You did.” Jason nodded, let himself grin. “And now you’re not going to have the choice to… _accidentally_ do it again.”

Dick threw his hands out in front of him. “Say we go along with your… _asinine_ suggestion. That still leaves Damian _alone_ -”

“Just because _you’re_ not with him, doesn’t mean he’ll be _alone_.” Jason let his grin widen further. Become downright… _wolfish_.

Fury suddenly burned in Dick’s eyes, and Bruce must have sensed the sudden tension, as he stepped forward.

“Ohhhhh, no.” Dick snapped. “You’re not going to _hoard_ him like he’s your goddamn _pup_ , Jason-”

“And what the fuck are you going to do about it?” Jason was instantly in his face. Jason could feel his teeth already growing, become pointing. Wolf strength returning as Bruce put a hand on his chest to push him back, and Jason returned the shove, easily throwing him across the room. “Do you even know what you really did?”

“Please.” Dick said dryly. And Jason had to give him credit, he didn’t back away. “Enlighten me.”

“You didn’t just make a _mistake_ , Dick.” Jason growled, feeling his back hunch, fighting the need to drop down to all fours. “You didn’t just accidentally hurt his _feelings_.”

Dick didn’t budge.

“You hurt that kid so much he was going to run away. Start a new life. And protecting himself wasn’t even the main _priority_. Oh, no.” Jason watched spit leave his mouth, splatter against Dick’s cheeks. “You two’s little ‘you talk or we don’t talk to you’ game fucked him up so _badly_ , he thinks he did something _wrong_. He thinks you’re _angry_ at him. He thinks you don’t care about him at _all_. To the point, he believes he could make your lives better by _leaving them_.”

Dick’s eyes twitched wider. And he had the audacity to look _surprised_.

“He’s _ten_ , Dick. He’s ten _fucking_ years old, and you two did that to him.” Jason paused to suck in a breath, purse his lips and look over to where Bruce was still picking himself up from the floor. “And the worst part is – I know what it’s like, because you did it to me when I came back.” He looked back down at Dick, even as he pointed violently at his own chest. “So, excuse me for being a little _defensive_ about it.”

Dick’s mouth had dropped open now, and he turned to stare at Bruce, as if to confer over Jason’s words, decide if they were true or not. Suddenly he turned back, face pleading.

“Let us talk to him.” He begged. “This is all just a huge misunderstanding. We just need to clear the air. Jay, you can moderate, and-”

“No.” Jason ordered. “Because you’re not going to get near him.”

“Jay-”

“Because you don’t _deserve_ to.” Jason hissed. “You don’t _deserve_ that little boy, so you won’t _have_ him. I won’t _let_ you.”

Bruce moved towards them. “Jason-”

“I won’t let you hurt him again.” Jason whipped his head around to stare up at Bruce. Felt his fists tighten and Hesperus thrashing inside his chest. “I’ll _kill_ you first.”

Bruce seemed unbothered by the threat. “Son-”

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. There won’t be a twice. Not here. Not for…Not for _another_ kid.” He shook his head, popped his tongue out of his mouth, licked his lips and gulped as he backed away. “…I’m done.”

“No…!” Dick barely whispered it as he lurched forward. “Jay-!”

 _“I said I’m done.”_ Jason bellowed, backing quickly away, out of Dick’s reach. His heart was instantly pounding, his skin feeling like it was on fire. “…Think about what I said. Come after me if you want to test the validity of my _promise_.”

Dick seemed about to, but Bruce, smartly, stopped him. Jason grinned bitterly as he felt his hand hit the doorframe, clutched onto it for dear life.

“Later, losers.”

He ran, then. Down the hallway, already tearing the shirt off his frame. He’d barely turned the corner before he felt the fur reaching out of his pores, his pointed ears twitching excitedly, his long tongue flop out of the side of his long snout.

Hesperus was growling before Jason even fell to his paws.

He took the long way back to Damian’s room, purposely destroying many of Bruce’s belongings as he did. Vases, photographs, statues, tables. A door was open, and he rammed it like a bull would the matador’s cape in a bullfight. He slammed into so hard it broke through its frame, and shattered the hinges.

He was panting by the time he got back to the corridor of bedrooms. Panting as he trotted back into Damian’s room, where Titus stood on alert in the middle of the floor, the cat watching the door fiercely from his perch on the pillow.

Damian remained sleeping.

Titus cocked his head to the side. Jason shook his own miserably as he shuffled into the room.

_‘Don’t want to talk about it.’_

And if either Titus or Alfred were going to push the subject, they didn’t get to. Damian suddenly inhaled deeply, let out a little groan, and flopped over. Jason felt his anger and sorrow drop immediately, a smirk twitch at the corner of his mouth as he went up to the edge of the bed and sniffed at Damian’s face.

Damian’s face scrunched and his eyes peeled open. “…Todd?”

“The one and only.”

Damian blinked, but still couldn’t manage to open his eyes bigger than a wince. “…What time is it?”

“Beats me.” Jason shrugged, moved his sniffs to Alfred, who was less than amused. “It’s not like I asked your _dad_.”

“Father?” Damian seemed about to attempt to sit up. And Jason doesn’t know the boy’s logic, but somehow he ended up at the right conclusion of: “…You talked to Father?”

Jason paused, then quietly. “…I did.”

“…What about?” Damian grumbled as he flopped back into the blankets. He was like a drunk old man, and it was _precious_.

“It doesn’t matter.” He whispered instead, licking gently at Damian’s forehead. “Go back to sleep, kiddo.”

Damian inhaled sharply again and rolled onto his side, facing Jason. Jason smiled warmly at the fists curled up in the blankets, the nose burrowed against Alfred’s paws, and the lashes spread across his cheeks as he closed his eyes.

Jason sat on his haunches, leaned his head onto the mattress, and slid his nose underneath Damian’s neck until the boy’s chin was a firm weight between his eyes. Closed his own as Damian contently sighed, the breath waving against the fur of his muzzle.

“Okay, Todd.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Other Werewolf!Jason things](http://fishfingersandjellybabies.tumblr.com/tagged/werewolf%21jason-au)   
> 


End file.
